Bound By Love
by unrealxXx
Summary: Cody Martin watches and admires a newcomer to the Tipton hotel. When he cannot explain the feelings he has for a certain individual, he gets consumed by depression, anxiety, and sadness. What will become of Cody? will he ever find true love?
1. A New Neighbor

_**Chapter 1 – A New Neighbor**_

Yet another year had passed. It was the 24th of December and a young boy by the name of Cody Martin

was excited. Cody was 12 years old and Christmas was his favorite time of the year. What was so special

about Christmas? For Cody it meant staying home with his family, getting lots of presents, and wreaking havoc

for Moseby in the lobby. The lobby of the Tipton hotel had a huge Christmas tree which Cody loved to stare at.

During the previous year, Cody actually managed to steal some of the decorations on it, before getting busted

by the unhappy hotel manager. The Martins lived on the 21st floor of the hotel. Cody's family consisted of himself,

his twin brother Zack, his mother Carrie, and his Father Kurt. Kurt and Carrie were divorced, and Kurt only visited

on holidays, which was another reason Cody looked forward to Christmas so much. Zack also enjoyed the holidays.

He liked getting presents just as much as any 12 year old and loved his mom's special Christmas roast. Cody and

his brother Zack were twins, yet they were complete opposites. While Zack was very verbal, loud, and outgoing,

Cody was shy, quiet, and lived in his own fantasy world. This included reading various adventure/fantasy books,

watching movies, and listening to music. Zack always preferred playing sports and going to friend's houses, while

Cody did his own thing. It was 9:00 in the morning when Carrey woke up her two sons.

"Rise and shine boys, its Christmas Eve tonight, Santa will be giving you lots of nice presents if you aren't naughty."

The twins woke up and laughed.

"MOM we aren't 5. Santa isn't real; he's only real on Coke bottles."

Carrey smiled and sat down on by their beds.

"Listen boys, I have a show to rehearse for. Today is the Christmas special and the hotel has many guests this time of year.

Mr. Moseby is expecting a solid performance and I can't let him down. I put the roast in the oven and left it on, don't forget to

shut if off at 4:00PM sharp. I'll be back at 8, your father will be here at 8.30ish, and then we can have our family meal."

The boys' eyes lit when they heard Kurt was coming. Obviously they knew, but the fact that Carrie said it, affirmed the fact that

their dad was going to be here tonight.

"OK mom, cya later" said the boys.

Carrie waved goodbye and left the apartment. Zack turned to Cody

"Hey, whacha wanna do now?"

"Well…" started Cody "I was thinking of getting started on that History paper we had to do over the break."

Zack looked disgusted "Oh forget that! Today is Christmas Eve, let's have some fun."

"What you got in mind?"

"Let's go to the lobby and see what's up."

"OK."

The boys got dressed and headed out of the apartment. It was still early so there was no reason to worry about the

roast overcooking. Cody took his pair of keys and they both left and got on the elevator. Once in the lobby, the boys

started doing their thing and fooling around. Having Mr. Moseby chase them around and threaten them seemed to excite

them and so they continued. After a few minutes of bothering the poor manager, Cody stopped to sit down and catch his

breath. He suddenly noticed somebody enter the Tipton Hotel. It was a teen that looked around 17 and what appeared to

be his mother. Both entered and walked over to the front desk. Mr. Moseby immediately left everything he was doing and

rushed on over to them. Zack turned to Cody and asked

"Hey Cody, why did Moseby run over to them like that, and what's with that goofy smile on his face?"

"I have no idea, let's go check it out."

The twins got up and headed over towards the front desk. Moseby saw this and tried to push them away.

"Not now you sniveling troublemakers! These are new full time residents, and they need to be shown Tipton hospitality."

"Who are they?" asked Zack.

"None of your—"

"It's Laurie" said the woman who just cut off Mr. Moseby "Laurie Lynch and this here is my son Jason. We are new to the Tipton

and will be staying here a while."

Jason looked at the boys and smiled. Zack waved politely, but Cody was frozen in place. For some odd reason he kept staring

at Jason without being able to look away. Jason noticed this and laughed; he patted Cody on the back and gave him a smile.

When Jason touched his back, Cody turned completely red in his cheeks. He felt the heat rise at an unstoppable rate. What

the hell was this? Why was he blushing? He couldn't make sense of it. Moseby's voice then broke the silence.

"Come on boys, off you go. Let the Lynches get acquainted now, why don't you?"

"Sure" said Zack and walked away. Cody followed.

"Pfft did you see that gay-wad?" asked Zack. Cody was still in his own world

"Huh? Wha?"

"Cody, what the heck is wrong with you? Snap out of it pal."

"Uh I'm fine, just a bit tired I guess."

Zack looked at him suspiciously, but then resumed his original statement.

"That Jason kid looks so gay. What's with the long hair and the tight sweater? He looks like a Christmas elf."

"Hey don't say that, you don't even know him! He looks like a nice guy."

"Whatever… let's go play some Xbox."

"Um sure, I'll be right up, just need to grab something real quick."

Zack looked at Cody and said ok before heading back to the elevator. Cody went back and sat on the lobby couch.

He had lied to his brother. There was nothing he had to grab; he just wanted to stare at Jason. For some reason,

Jason looked really appealing. Cody was still young so he didn't understand what sexual attraction was, for him it

just seemed like Jason was a nice cool dude and he couldn't get enough of him. Jason was very handsome and Cody

couldn't get enough of it. He had long black shoulder length hair, and was quite tall. He was extremely slim and somewhat

feminine looking. He was wearing light blue jeans that were kind of tight as well as a tight maroon sweater. He was listening

to music on his iPod and seemed to be off in his own world. Cody thought that it was cute. After a few minutes of stealing

stares at him Cody went up and joined his brother on the Xbox.

Later that night around 8:00PM Carrie came up looking tired but satisfied.

"Guess what boys? My show was so good that I got a nice bonus! I even got some generous tips from the richer guests.

I don't think any show I ever played was this good, Mr. Moseby loved it."

"That's great mom!" said the boys in unison.

Carrie smiled and walked over to the kitchen. She opened up the oven and removed the roast. The thick smell of pork

and spices filled the entire apartment for the next few minutes. It was timed perfectly, because at that very moment

there was a knock on the door.

"It's dad! IT'S DAD!"

The boys ran as fast as they could and opened the door. They were about to jump up to hug their dad, but noticed

that it wasn't Kurt.

"Hello boys, my you two look so adorable." said Laurie Lynch.

"Hello Mrs. Lynch" said Zack.

Cody then saw Jason walking up to the door holding a bottle of eggnog. Jason looked amazing! He was now wearing black

slightly ripped jeans and a festive Christmas sweater, his hair was tied back in a ponytail. Zack whispered in Cody's ear.

"Damn bro, now he REALLY looks like a Christmas elf."

"Shut it Zack."

Carrie came up to the door.

"What's all the commotion about? Why isn't Kurt coming in?"

"It's not dad, it's the people from this morning" said Zack.

"What people?"

Laurie walked up to Carrie and introduced herself and her son. She then proceeded to tell Carrey that they were their

new neighbors on the 21st floor.

"And so we will be living in the 4th room. We were already acquainted with your darling children from earlier today,

so we just figured we'd stop by and introduce ourselves."

"Well that's lovely; it's great to have new long-term neighbors, most of our neighbors leave within a few days. Well,

I won't bore you with that come on in."

The Lynches came in and stayed for about 20 minutes. Laurie did most of the talking and gave a brief background.

She said that she was divorced and so she was living with her son. Jason was apparently 20 years old; even though

Cody thought he was 17 when he initially met him. Jason was attending his 2nd year in college and was a Literature major.

Jason barely spoke, but when he did, he did so with a gentle grace in his voice. Cody was completely lost in Jason. It was

funny because even though Cody was 8 years younger, he saw Jason as cute, which is usually rare. Before they left, Jason shook

Zack's hand and went on to shake Cody's. Jason's touch was soft and sent shivers down Cody's spine. Cody did not want to let go,

but was forced to before it would get awkward. Laurie and Jason then said their goodbyes and left. Shortly after their departure,

Kurt came in and was greeted warmly by Zack. Cody was still happy to see him, but he was off in his own thoughts. Why did he like

Jason so much and what could Jason have possibly had that diminished Kurt's visit by such a great margin? Cody didn't know,

but that evening he experienced his first case of mild depression.

* * *

Hey I hope you all are going to love this story. I am currently in middle of another story called "The Blazing Desire" Which was my first story,

but then I came up with a new plot and decided to start a fresh new story. Keep in mind that this story is rated M and is not to be read by

minors. This story will contain love, drama, betrayal, and suspense above all. I hope you all enjoy it! I will continue updating asap.


	2. 3 Years Later

**Chapter 2 – 3 Years Later**

3 years have passed since the Christmas Eve that changed Cody's life. He was now 15 years old and more mature

about various topics. He spent those last 3 years watching and observing Jason whenever he could. Although he

did so, he still never understood why. It was considered normal for a boy his age to be interested in girls, but for

somehow Cody never developed that attraction. For some odd reason he gained satisfaction from looking at Jason,

and only at him. Cody started school at 8:00 but was in the lobby at 7:00 so that he could see Jason leaving with

his usual cup of coffee. Medium, extra dark, two sugars, and skim milk was the regular order. Cody was so infatuated

that he even knew Jason's favorite drink by heart. Jason made him feel good. It wasn't easy to convey exactly what

the feeling was, but whenever Cody stared at Jason, he was filled with a warm sensation that formed in his chest and

spread throughout his entire body. Shivers ran through his spine when he saw Jason stroke mildly at his long hair.

Cody also sat in the lobby in the evenings when Jason would return from school. He loved waiting for him, because

those brief moments made his day worth it. It was good to keep seeing Jason, but there was a downside to it as well.

Cody couldn't help but wonder if Jason ever looked at him in any weird way. Did he find him to be cute at all? Did he even

acknowledge his existence? It hurt Cody deeply to know that he had some sort of feelings for this man, while Jason was

doing just fine without him. Cody was sitting in the lobby again that evening, waiting for Jason to arrive. It was 6:00PM

when Cody received a phone call from his brother Zack.

"Hey what's up Cody?"

"I'm alright, how about you?"

"Fine, fine… Listen there is a party by Lindsay's place tonight. Her parents are gone for a few days and she has an open

house, you want to come with me?"

Cody saw this coming, and immediately tried to think of an excuse not to go. Lindsay was Zack's girlfriend; they have been

going out for 5 months. She had practically told their entire class about the upcoming open house and never shut up about it.

Cody wasn't a big fan of those parties. They usually involved guys and girls kissing and doing other weird things, which he was

not interested in. He much rather sit in the lobby and wait for Jason to come.

"To be honest, that sounds like an enticing offer, but I got my English paper to work on…."

Zack cut him off at once.

"Oh come on bro! When will you take a break? You're always busy doing some homework or reading a book, come out with me

and have some fun for once."

"I'd love to Zack, but I can't."

"So… you're not coming?"

"I'm not planning on it."

Zack sighed on the other end of the line.

"What is it?" asked Cody.

"Well to be honest, I didn't want to tell you yet, but it looks like I might have to."

"Tell me what?"

"Listen Cody, the guys have been talking… you're 15 and you never even kissed a girl yet…"

At this point Cody started to get irritated.

"What's your point?"

"Well… I'm not pointing fingers, or making accusations, but me and um… some of the guys, we um…"

"JUST GET TO IT WILL YOU?" yelled Cody.

"The guys think you're a fag."

Cody froze in his place for a few seconds, he felt the blood drain from his face and then rush back with triple intensity.

"E… Excuse me?"

"Look, I didn't say it ok? It's just a couple of people talking, I'm sure nobody really means that."

"Well, thanks for standing up for me… some brother you are…"

"Like I said, it's just some people talking, it doesn't mean anything, but I do have a question to ask you."

"What?"

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Gay."

"Let me get this straight. You out of all people, my brother. My own flesh and blood, is asking me if I'm gay?"

"Well… yeah. Are you?"

"NO! What the hell ever gave you that idea?"

"Look Cody, I'm just asking. There is no reason to get so annoyed over it."

"Screw you Zack, don't call me anymore, I got stuff to do."

Cody hung up the phone and shut it off. He didn't need this, especially not from his own brother. The truth was that he didn't

know what he was. He knew that he had some sort of attraction to Jason, but that didn't make him gay, did it? The idea of him

being gay just seemed ridiculous!

"The guys think you're a fag."

Zack's words had pierced through him like bullets and kept playing over in his head. If it wasn't true then why did it bother him

so much? Why couldn't he just say no and end it at that? Was there really something wrong with him after all? Cody couldn't take

the stress anymore and just burst out crying. He had his head down in his arms, so none of the passing guests realized what he

was doing. Once person however, did notice Cody crying and he walked over to him.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong Cody?"

Cody looked up, tears still dripping down, and saw Jason staring at him with a worried look in his eyes. The moment Cody's eyes

met Jason's, he suddenly felt the warm sensation creep up on him and spread throughout his body. Jason looked so handsome; he

wore light blue jeans, with a buttoned down white shirt and a green sleeveless sweater. His hair now surpassed his shoulder by

another 6 inches or so. Realizing that Cody still hasn't said a word, Jason seated himself right by the blonde boy and wiped a lingering

tear from his eye.

"What happened, Cody? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, it's just… it's nothing forget it."

"Cody… I'm here for you; I promise I won't tell anybody."

At that point Cody couldn't contain himself anymore. All the weird feelings he had for Jason, all the night he spent watching him and

wishing to talk to him, all the day dream he had… all seemed to attack him at once! Cody burst out in tears once more, but this he

cuddled into Jason's chest and cried on his shoulder. Jason then did something Cody completely didn't expect. He started stroking

at his hair and then down to his neck.

"Shhh. Relax Cody, it's ok. Let it all out, whatever it is we can talk about it when you are ready."

Hearing those comforting words come out of Jason's mouth made Cody feel safe and secure, something that he didn't feel with

anybody else. At that point, Cody started to relax a bit, and eventually calmed down. After he was done crying, Jason wiped once

last tear from his eye and gave him a handsome smile.

"Cody, we have been neighbors for 3 years now. We know each other as well as neighbors should, but I feel you and I can get to

know each other so much better, don't you?"

"Y…Yes."

"Would you like to get to know me a bit more?"

"I would like that, yeah…" said Cody in a dreamy voice.

"I'm glad to hear that" said Jason, with another smile on his face.

"Are you hungry?"

"Now that you mention it, I actually am."

"You like steak?"

Cody's eyes lit.

"I love it!"

"Wonderful. I know a really great place in town. Would you like to join me for dinner?"

Cody couldn't even answer. He nodded and then felt a pat on his back.

"Ok then, it's a date. Let me drop my things off by the apartment and I'll be right back, wait for me here okay?"

Cody nodded, avoiding Jason's eyes yet again. Jason ran to the elevator and headed up. He didn't believe it; he was actually

going to dinner with Jason! Cody then started tearing lightly, but for the first time, it wasn't due to sorrow.

This time his tears were that of joy.

* * *

Here is chapter 2 of my new story. Keep in mind that I still have my other story "The Blazing Desire" which is already over 20 chapters and

ongoing so read that too if you are interested. I mainly focused on dialogue in this chapter because I felt it was imperative to the characters'

personalities. Anyway I will try to update ASAP! keep the reviews coming and enjoy the story =)


	3. Dinner

_**Chapter 3 – Dinner**_

The cab ride to Napoleon Steak House was enjoyable for both Cody and Jason. Cody had managed to calm down and felt

much more at ease. Jason too seemed to enjoy his younger neighbor's company, and showed him some music off of his iPod.

"This is Led Zeppelin, ever heard of them?"

"Can't say that I have" replied an innocent looking Cody.

Jason gasped.

"You never heard Stairway to Heaven? Cody, you have been missing out!"

Cody listened to the song and truly enjoyed it, but the thing he enjoyed more was sharing the earphones with Jason. This enabled

him to press his body against Jason's. Cody had his excuse and he sure was going to utilize it. During the ride, Cody got a few text

messages from his brother. He didn't bother reading or even opening them. Cody felt calm and happy for the first time in 3 years.

He wasn't going to let anything ruin his mood, especially not his idiot of a brother. When the cab approached their destination,

Jason paid the driver and got out with Cody. Both entered the restaurant, which seemed pretty fancy. Napoleon Steak House

was full of people sitting down for dinner, many of them seemed like couples. Cody thought it was a bit awkward, but when

he looked up at Jason and saw his reassuring smile. He smiled back and knew that this was going to be a great night.

A young lady approached Jason

"Hello Mr. Lynch, how are you this evening?"

"Fine, and yourself?"

"Doing well, thanks for asking. So will it be two this evening?"

"Yes. This here is Cody. He is my date." said Jason teasingly.

The girl laughed, and Cody chuckled nervously. He felt the blood rush to his cheeks and started blushing uncontrollably.

Jason didn't seem to notice it though; Cody breathed a sigh of relief. The girl, who introduced herself as Ashley, got them

nice seats by the window. The table was absolutely beautiful. The table cloth was burgundy and there were nice candles lit.

The lights in the restaurant were dim, which created a nice romantic setting, and the crisp scent in the air was subtle, yet sharp.

The two sat down and felt comfortable. Cody looked over at Jason and asked.

"So, you come here often?"

"Sometimes," he replied "this place is really nice and the food is great, but I can't afford coming here too often, so I only come on special occasions."

Cody blushed and looked sideways nervously. Did he dare to say what was on his mind? After a short intrinsic contemplation, he decided to ask.

"So… do you consider this a special occasion?"

Jason grinned "You bet!"

Cody smiled back. He couldn't really do much more. For three years he merely watched as Jason headed out of the Tipton every morning in order to

attend class. He had a few short conversations with him, but never anything of this magnitude. He felt truly blessed, but at the same time overwhelmed.

This was happening too fast, and at times it seemed like it was just a dream.

"Earth! Earth to Cody!"

Cody looked up "Huh?"

"What would you like to order, sir?" asked the waitress.

"Oh sorry, I zoned out for a second."

"It's quite all right. What would you like hun?"

Cody looked at Jason with a questioning look.

"What do you usually get?" he asked.

"Well, whenever I come here I get the Napoleon French Steak, medium rare."

"Is it any good?"

Jason laughed "Only the best!"

"Ok, I'll take it."

"Certainly" said the waitress, "any drinks?"

"Water for me, and get Cody whatever he wants."

"Sprite please" said Cody.

"You got it" replied the waitress.

She then took the order and went to deliver it to the chef. Cody was glancing all over the restaurant; he couldn't help thinking

how beautiful it was, and how lucky he was to be here with someone as great as Jason.

"So Cody, how do you like the restaurant?" asked Jason.

"It's remarkable… I've never been to such a nice place before, it's so fancy."

"Yeah well I wanted this experience to be a nice one, and I couldn't think of a better place."

"Thanks Jason it means a lot"

"No problem, I'm glad we went out. Now tell me, is everything ok? I sensed something was troubling you before."

Cody looked down at the table and was lost for words. What was he going to say? That he had a secret crush on him? That he

spent the last 3 years observing him in the lobby? That people suspected he was gay? Obviously he couldn't say any of those

things, but Jason deserved more than to be left hanging.

"Well truth be told, I got into a fight with my brother earlier… he said some really hurtful things and it bothered me a lot. He can be

really insensitive at times, you know?"

Jason sighed.

"Yeah some people aren't too considerate of others' feelings. I know it can be tough at times, but you can't let these things get you down.

Teens will be teens. I know how it is in high school. You get ridiculed if you aren't part of the popular group, you get laughed at if you're slightly

different, and god-forbid you should ever voice an opinion that is different than the majority."

Cody looked at Jason's eyes and didn't know what to say. He nailed it! Jason hit every single aspect of high school in a single sentence. Someone

actually understood how he felt and didn't hate him for it.

"Anyway…." continued Jason, "you shouldn't let some stupid teenagers affect your behavior or your personality, you are a unique individual with a

big heart, don't let some idiots take that away from you. Let your true self define who you are, and if some people don't like it, they can shove it."

Cody was holding back tears at this point. Jason looked at him and understood; he reached out his hand and grabbed Cody's. Jason's hand was

warm and comfortable. Cody let him take his hand and secretly hoped he would never let go.

* * *

Hope you liked the chapter. I know i take forever to update, but i'm extremely busy. Thanks for the patience and for reviewing the story. I will do

my best to keep updating it asap.


	4. An Unexpected Surprise

**Chapter 4 – An unexpected surprise**

That night Cody slept better than he ever has before. He kept replaying the entire night over and over with no intention of stopping. How lucky was he? He got to go on a date

(or so he called it) with the man who he's been crushing on for over 3 years, the man that also happened to be his neighbor on the 21st floor of the Tipton hotel. After getting back

from the delightful dinner date, Cody ran into his brother. Zack tried to talk to him and even apologize, but Cody didn't seem to care. He was off in his own world, lost in thoughts and

hopes. Did this mean that there was a chance for a future with him and Jason? Should he come clean about his true feelings? The thoughts lingered throughout the night until he fell

asleep. In the morning that followed Cody woke up feeling like a new being. A sense of immeasurable confidence settled in and he decided that later on in the day he was going to

come clean with Jason. Three long years were spent painfully watching as Jason went on and about his life. During those three years Cody saw Jason grow. He saw him progress

academically as his education progressed. He moved on from being a mere college student and started teaching literature at a high school right out of town. This created a more hectic

schedule for Jason and kept him away from the Tipton even longer. Cody spent many nights in the lonely lobby, just waiting to see his man come in. Every time Jason entered the lobby

from outside, his hair would be swinging wildly with the outer breeze. He would enter and then it settled and fell into place. It was messy at times, but that just made it that much sexier

in Cody's eyes. What would it take to get noticed by this extraordinary man? Cody asked himself that question plenty of times but came to no conclusion. He would just sit and stare away…

Today was different though. After the wonderful dinner night, Cody was ready to take on the world and there was nothing that would stand in his way.

"Morning bro…" said a yawning Zack, while giving his brother a half assed wave.

"Yes, indeed it is morning" Cody replied sarcastically.

His brother looked irritated.

"Oh come on bro! Are you still mad about yesterday? I swear I must have sent you like a billion texts. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt your feelings,

but damn you are sensitive! You can't let things get to you like that."

Cody didn't reply. He didn't want to hear his brother at the moment as there were more pressing matters at hand. He needed to figure out exactly how he was going to open up to Jason.

"Hey, I'm talking to you dammit. Don't ignore me"

Cody turned around

"What do you want me to say Zack? You're a prick and you pissed me off yesterday. You hurt my feelings, but whatever I'm alright."

"So does this mean we're cool?"

"Sure whatever."

"Okay then!" replied a happier looking Zack as he headed to the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Cody

"To Lindsay's place, to do um… math problems"

"Math problems my ass…."

Zack giggled and gave Cody a wink before leaving.

"I'll be back tonight, peace"

Zack left and shut the door behind him. This gave Cody time to think and plan his strategy for later today. With Zack out of the way, he could think clearer and not have to worry about being watched.

His mom was also working till later that night, so he was all alone, empty house. Cody picked up his cell and decided to give Jason a call. As he dialed his number and heard a ring, he quickly hung up.

Why the hell did I do that? He thought. He was nervous and didn't want to come off as such; he decided that a text would be easier.

_Hey Jason, I have a paper and need some tutoring, would you mind helping me out a bit?_

Text sent.

He awaited the reply but didn't get one until an hour since his initial send.

_Sorry, was caught up at work. I'd love to help, how about 4pm, my place?_

Cody's smiled and responded

_sounds good :)_

By 3:50PM Cody was already pacing back and forth outside Jason's apartment. He didn't even bother knocking because he knew that nobody was home. Jason wasn't home yet because

he was on his way back from work and Laurie Lynch had moved out of the Tipton a few months back, when she got a full time position in a multi-billion dollar corporation as the CEO's personal

assistant. The job required her to relocate to Seattle, full time. This left Jason with an apartment all to himself. Cody had many dirty thoughts about possible situations that could happen with

just the two of them in an empty room. Amidst yet another fantasy, Cody was awoken by a soft spoken voice.

"Hey there buddy, how are you?"

Cody looked up and saw a grinning Jason.

"Shall we go in?"

Cody's tongue got tied for a moment before being able to answer yes.

As they entered, Cody looked around and realized that Jason may have been 23, but he was still a child at heart. His walls were full of random band posters as well as painting of favorite

video game characters. He had many, many books of all different kinds scattered throughout the place. Fantasy, fiction, history, philosophy, literature, and politics were just some of the book

genres that Jason had. Cody was fascinated by the entire scenery and wished that he could room with Jason, just so he can be closer to him.

"So Cody, what's giving you difficulty? Take out the work while I go make us tea."

Jason walked into his kitchen and started boiling some water. At this point Cody took out a random English essay he had prepared and placed it on the table. When Jason got back with the two

cups of tea, he picked up the paper and examined it closely. After a few minutes he put it down.

"So, what's the problem?"

"Huh?"

"The paper is great. I see no spelling errors and it seems to flow well and articulate your opinion."

"Oh… really? I thought it could use some work…"

"No work necessary, this paper is splendid. You are a truly gifted writer if anything. We could you more people like you in the literature department."

Cody blushed

"Thanks…" he said, almost in a whisper.

"No problem. Well no that you're here, do you want to watch some TV with me?"

"Sure"

They two got up and before Jason got a chance to turn on the TV, Cody grabbed his hand.

"Listen Jason there is something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Well, the thing is that…. Well…. I wanted to tell you about how I…. um…. I really wanted, just to say, to tell you that…."

Jason smiled

"Cody, relax. You're hand is shaking. Take it easy, what's up?"

His words seemed to relax him.

Cody took a deep breath and decided to go for it.

"Jason, there is something I have to tell you. Truthfully I don't even know where to begin. I wanted to share this with you for some time, but I just never had the guts to bring it up."

Jason continued staring at Cody with a blank expression on his face. Cody continued.

"When you moved in 3 years ago… that day, well… it changed my life. I was young at the time and didn't know what to think, but now that I'm older I can clearly see that -"

Cody was interrupted by a sharp noise.

"Hold on Cody, someone's at the door."

As Jason walked away to get the door, Cody tried to regroup and gather his focus. He was a mess and it showed. His breath was heavy, his heat must have been beating twice as fast as

normal and he was sweating cold sweat all over. He had to get out of this state of mind and come clean to Jason. He already spent 3 years doing nothing and there was no way he'd spent

another 3 just sitting idly. After a few moments Jason came back, but he was not alone. He was accompanied by a twenty-something year old woman that was dressed pretty fancy.

He stood in between both of them and made introductions.

"Cody, let me introduce you to Alice…. my girlfriend."

**GIRLFRIEND!**

The word popped up in Cody's head with a bold font. What? Jason? Girlfriend? Impossible!

Cody froze and couldn't even bring himself to shake her hand. All his hopes, his dreams, and fantasies just came crashing down in one defining moment of clarity.

He felt the blood draining from his body and the life from his soul. He wanted to die.

"Umm… Jason, I gotta go."

Jason looked all confused.

"What do you mean? Didn't you still want to talk about something?"

"Nope, it's nothing really." Cody said.

He was holding back so many tears and fought to keep himself contained. He felt chocking in the back of his throat as he made his way out of the apartment. Jason told Alice

to sit down and chased Cody into the hallway. Before Cody got back into his own apartment, his hand was grabbed by Jason.

"Cody, what was that all about? What's going on?"

Cody didn't want to look at Jason's face, as his eyes were already full of tears. he looked down and away as tears flowed and dropped onto the floor.

"It's nothing" he said in a muffled voice.

He then pulled his arm away from Jason and went inside his apartment. Jason stood in the hall and just stared away at the door. Three drops on the floor caught his eye. He then crouched and touched the carpet.

It was wet.

* * *

Hey everyone, here is an update to the story. It's been... months since I updated. Truthfully I completely forgot about this site, but tonight I felt like writing and I remembered all about my story. I know that it takes

me forever to update, but I will finish both my stories I promise. In case you don't know, I have another story called "The Blazing Desire" which is my first story and has twenty-something chapters. I will work on

updating both. Happy new years!


	5. Change of Heart

**Chapter 5 – Change of Heart**

A week had passed since Cody's bitter encounter with Alice, Jason's girlfriend. He had difficulties thinking and functioning properly for the last couple of days due to that unfortunate meeting.

He felt like a fool, he was ready to pour his heart out to the one person he cared about and he got rejected in the most horrible way. How could he? How could Jason, the man he loved and

cared for, possibly have a girlfriend? He never even saw him with any girl before! He always seemed like such a loner, which is why Cody thought he had a chance to begin with. He wasn't

able to forget the pain… oh the pain! It hurt him so much when he saw Alice with her stupid smile and cheerful attitude, but what stung even more was Jason chasing him down the hall,

calling his name, grabbing his arm, and possibly seeing him cry….

Cody spent the last few days trying to avoid any and all contact with Jason. Every time he got a call from him, he would let it go to voicemail, each time he saw him in the hallway, he would

wait until he left and then go on ahead. His 3 year habit of watching and observing Jason also came to an abrupt halt, as he was not interested in seeing him at all. Somewhere deep inside,

Cody knew that Jason cared and even may have felt guilty about the entire situation, but that didn't help his own feelings. He was hurt and heartbroken, nothing could change that.

The following morning Cody woke up and headed to school. He went to a public school four blocks away from the Tipton Hotel, classes started at 8:00AM daily. Cody and his brother Zack were

both in the 9th grade, freshman year. Cody was a good student, he showed up on time every day, always had his homework ready, and participated at all times. Today however, he felt a slump

just as he had been feeling for the past week. Cody entered the classroom and saw some people chatting, guys and girls. He was in no mood to discuss anything with anybody. He went to his

seat and sat down, waiting for the class to start. All of a sudden he heard his brother's voice from behind him.

"Hey Cody what's crackin?"

"Not now Zack, I'm not feeling so great…"

"Since when _have_ you been feeling great? You're always down about everything."

"Please Zack, let's talk later okay?"

"_Not_ okay" Said Lindsay as she came up and put her arm around Zack.

Cody could feel anger and the blood rushed to his face.

"Hey Lindsay, how about you mind your own damn business? "

This seemed to offend both Zack and his girlfriend.

"Dude what the hell? Watch how you talk to my girl"

"Oh shut up! Both of you just leave me alone!"

Zack and Lindsay both rolled their eyes and went to their respective seats in the back of the classroom. Cody sat at the front as always. He loved being immersed in the class as well as be able to

hear his teacher over the loud noise of the classroom. As Cody waited for his teacher to come in, he realized that he was late. It was now 8:22 and Mr. Jacobson had yet to show. At 8:25 the door

opened and Principal Bowers walked in. Cody looked around to try and find his teacher, but was unsuccessful. The principal got up to the desk and cleared his throat.

"May have you attention please?"

The students all stopped talking and say down quietly.

"Good, now there is a matter I'd like to discuss with all of you. It's difficult for me to say this, but yesterday your English teacher Mr. Jacobson and our fine institution have parted ways.

There were a few disagreements regarding certain issues and we couldn't come to an agreement."

A few groans came from the classroom. Principal Bowers looked annoyed, but continued anyway.

"I know this may be difficult for some as he was a favorite among students, but we did find a replacement on short notice. I know we are in middle of a school year, but I assure you that

you new teacher is qualified to continue where his predecessor has left off. So without further ado, I'd like to introduce you all to Mr. Lynch."

Cody's blood froze and the color drained from his face as he saw none other than Jason Lynch walk into the classroom wearing black dress pants and a buttoned down blue shirt.

Jason carried a small briefcase with him and a textbook under him arm.

"Hello class" he said with a smile, as he stared Cody directly in the eye.

The principal turned to him

"I trust you'll take it from here?"

"But of course."

"Well then, I bid you farewell… And good luck with the one in the end" he said as he stared down Zack.

Principal Bowers left the classroom and Jason Lynch was left to face the 46 students that attended.

"Good morning everyone, as Principal Bowers said my name is Jason Lynch. I am a literature major graduate from the University of Boston and have been teaching for the past 6 months.

As of now I will only be teaching this class and only until the end of this school year, which means I can solely focus on everybody here."

As he was saying those words he paced around the classroom. He then stopped and stared at Cody.

"I'm hoping that by the end of the school year people will see me as a friend and an ally rather than just a teacher. I know that 9th grade can seem difficult and overwhelming for some,

but I want people to be able to talk to me if needed. I will always be available to my students."

He then walked over to his desk, sat down, and started taking attendance. Cody couldn't believe it; this seemed like a bad dream that just wouldn't end. WHY was Jason here of all places?

Wasn't he already teaching somewhere else? If so, what was his motivator to come to this school? It couldn't be that he came here for him, which would be impossible. It must just be a bad coincidence.

As Jason started his lecture, Cody realized that the classroom around him was silent for the first time in months. He hated to admit it, but Jason made the class amusing.

The entire room was quiet when he lectured, but remained engaged when he initiated discussion topics. As much as Cody liked Mr. Jacobson, he never had the degree of

control that Mr. Lynch had. The next 2 hours flew by; Jason then got up and announced a 20 minute break. As everybody got up to leave, he motioned for Cody to stay behind.

Cody remained seated and looked down at his desk. When the very last student left, Jason walked up to the door and locked it.

"So Cody, what's happening? Pretty cool turn of events huh? Me teaching here and all…"

Cody remained silent and looked down.

"Come on Cody, you can talk to me. You've been ignoring my calls all week and now you're giving me the silent treatment?"

"Go to hell" Cody said under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I said go to hell!"

"CODY! What's the matter with you?"

Cody looked up at Jason; the tears were now flowing from his eyes.

"You wanna know what the matter with me is? I'll tell you what it is... I _love_ you."

Jason didn't say a word but he did raise his eyebrows slightly.

"There! I've said it! I've had a crush on you for the past 3 years, since the day you moved in."

Jason's face remained blank for a moment, but then he laughed.

"Cody… you can't possibly be serious. I'm a bit older than you, don't you think? Not to mention that I'm a _guy._"

At that moment Cody looked hurt.

"So what if you are? Am I supposed to hide and reject my feelings JUST because you're a guy? Its how I feel, I can't help it..."

"You don't know how you feel Cody. You're a young boy. Kids your age have hormone spikes which lead to many different thoughts and feelings.

You're going through puberty; your feelings are just part of the natural process."

"Oh screw that! Why are you making excuses? Jason, I've been miserable for 3 years! The night you took me out to the steak house was the greatest night of my life.

It was the highlight of my existence! It was special and you know it! It didn't feel like a random dinner with a neighbor, we had a connection that night, I know we did."

Jason seemed uncomfortable and a bit nervous. He looked down and after a few seconds, back up.

"Look Cody, I'll admit there is something going on between us, but it doesn't change the fact that it's **wrong! **I am a grown man 23 years of age. You are 15!

There is an 8 year age difference between us. No matter how difficult this may be, you have to set your feelings aside and get on with your life."

For the first time in 3 years, Cody felt genuine anger towards Jason. He looked up at him and yelled

"_Get on with my life? What the hell are you talking about? What are you saying? If _anybody_ should know how I feel it's you! You're a literature major for Christ's sake! _

_How many stories and tragedies did you read about forbidden love? Are you saying it's wrong because people FROWN upon it? How DARE you! I hate you! I hate you! I h-"_

Jason grabbed Cody by the back and brought him closer to his own body.

Before Cody knew what was going on, they locked lips and kissed.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed! Subscribe so that you can know when my next chapter is available.


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